Oceans Deep
by Sassberry
Summary: AU: For over a year, Kate Beckett has been missing and through a friend she tries her best to contact Lanie Parish. It's up to the medical examiner to find her best friend and bring her home before the boys find her, and the men after Kate find them. Will she rise to the occasion and save not only the detectives life, but the life of her own? (RATING WILL CHANGE)
1. Chapter 1

The days grow longer.

The time and energy spent trying to find what has been lost is slowly draining the lives out of the ones closest. The seasons say goodbye only to return once again and still, the search for happiness has not been found. The thread that kept them all together had unraveled so fast that they all didn't see that they were growing farther apart by the seconds. No one wanted to say what should have been said. No one wanted to believe that there was a chance their hero would never come back. Katherine Beckett would never come back. The hopeful soon lost their sense of reasoning, trying to find something that would lead them back to her, but every lead they followed soon led to a dead end. They began telling themselves that maybe - just maybe - their dead end was because the one they revolved around was just like it. Dead. The hopeful soon changed into the hopeless and the dark they spent so long running away from, finally caught up to them. They would never say what they all thought, but they didn't pretend that it wasn't there. She wasn't there.

Still, in a room confined only to the dead, sat one person whose light shines through even in the worst of times. Someone who believed that her best friend wasn't dead and that someday, no matter how far into the future it might be, she would contact them in a way that would make them believe that she was alright. Dr. Lanie Parish spent every waking moment outside of work, looking for clues or people who would be able to tell her the truth. If she was dead, like everyone believed she was, Lanie needed to know why and how. She needed closure, but everyday that had passed made it difficult to gain.

Richard Castle wasn't the man that they all knew. He had stopped writing and would visit the precinct once in a while, just to show them that he wasn't off the deep end, but they knew that he was. He would call Lanie a little less than his visits to the precinct, asking her to give him any information that would lead to her but after a year, the information looked less promising. He would call her now, asking her to check on unidentifiable bodies that matched her descriptions - and she would, but secretly she just wished that one of them would be Kate, just so they could all sleep at night.

The day was like any other for Lanie. She woke up, kissed her fiance goodbye and left for work, a simple routine that she did almost as if she wasn't there. She walked to work every morning since it was in distance of her home, and although Javier wished that she wouldn't do that, it was the easiest way rather than taking a cab or the bus. It seemed so simple to her but his fear of the same thing that happened to Kate was overwhelming. It took over him but it affected her. She wasn't important, at least in her mind, and she always thought that if something were to happen she would never get in the middle. That theory worked for most of her life, but it changed the moment someone grabbed her arm.

What Lanie didn't know was that for the past three days, she's been followed. She felt it the night before, eyes staring at her when there was no one around, but she often felt that way after a large case. She didn't have time to think about it or bring it up to Javier, or maybe she didn't want to because she just wanted to be normal. Still, she looked at the hand that squeezed her tight enough before looking at the face of the holder. It was an older man, a man she had never seen before. He pulled her into his direction. "Come with me," he said before crossing the street with Lanie right next to him.

He moved into a diner, almost letting her go when she didn't say anything. He sat in a booth calmly and picked up the menu that had been there. So many things ran in Lanie's mind as she stood in front of the table, holding onto her purse. Maybe he got the wrong person? Maybe this wasn't as bad as she thought it was. She analyzed him quickly, trying to figure out what she was dealing with. Her eyes wandered to his buzz cut. She got the feeling that maybe he was apart of the military. Possibly someone Javi knew. Retired military? No. His clothes, they looked as if he didn't care. As if his life went down the drain during or even after. Dishonorable discharge. Her brows pushed closer together, still unsure that she needed to be in this place. He glanced at her, moving in his seat impatiently as he looked back to his menu. "You gonna sit down or what?"

Lanie had a choice and she already made it as she sat on the side opposite of him. She placed her purse next to her, staring at this man who seemed to as ease. In the simplest terms, she was afraid. Afraid of what he might do to her, or to the people around her. She looked at the exit, making sure that if she needed to, she had an open way to get out of there. The possibilities of what could happen in this instant surged through her mind. She couldn't die. Not here. Not now. Not today. "You know," he said discreetly as he dropped the menu, leaning forward. "I hoped that bringing you to a public place would make you feel better. I guess not." She glared at him, unwelcoming to his jokes. She didn't move, staring him down was the only way to play out the things that could possibly happen next.

His eyes moved towards the waitress who stood before them and Lanie's eyes followed. She was ready to take their order, but the tension between the two was visible to the ones in their perimeter. He pushed through it, ignoring what he had just caused in that moment and ordered his meal. Two eggs and hash. An odd plate, at least she thought so. The waitress turned to her, waiting for her order but she declined. This wasn't a time to eat, it was a time to find answers. She gave her a closed smile before walking away. "Who are you," she asked almost immediately, impatient to know why she was still sitting there. She couldn't hear the noises of the children crying behind her, or the forks and spoons clinking against their plates. She stared intently at him, refusing to break a sweat. He let out a small chuckle, pleased at her commitment. "A friend."

"Really? Because you don't like like any friend of mine."

He nodded his head. He'd take that. "I'm a friend… to your friend." She inhaled, her brow moving up, waiting for him to finish. She was tired of this mysterious bullshit and it seemed like he was taking his time. She rolled her eyes when he didn't respond. "What friend?" She knew the answer, but she needed to hear it. She needed to know that she wasn't jumping to conclusions and that this wasn't a trap. She kept her face solid. Still, he knew it was a test and now was just a good time as any to answer her. "Kate Beckett." The name rang from the examiners ears and piercing the very fragile heart that she had as she sat there. The corners of her eyes misted as she looked away from the man. Her jaw clenched, trying to find a way to believe. "She sent me for you," he said softer than before. She crossed her arms over her body, thinking that maybe she could control herself from shaking but it was useless.

"Look," he continued in a sigh. "There's a lot of things that you should know and a lot of things that I'm willing to tell you but I need to know your answer."

"Answer to what?"

"Kate asked me to look for you. Only you. I'm willing to explain, but not until you come with me."

"Why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't. But you should trust her."

Her eyes flashed back to him. How dare he mock her? He should have known that she would do anything for her and that she would always say yes. But things were different. Everything became different and she didn't know how to analyze that. "She needs you and she wouldn't have risked her life to contact me if this wasn't important. I just figured that you would be willing to help her…. But I guess things are more important now." He nodded towards the ring on her finger and her eyes followed. She clenched her hand before bringing it underneath the table. "We'll be meeting at the docks tonight at 03:00 sharp. If you come, then great. If you don't, we'll do it on our own. Either way, Kate's coming back." Her jaw clenched involuntarily refusing to say another word. She moved out of the booth only seconds before his food arrived, unable to process the information she had been given.

The nights grow colder.

The entire day had left her confused and side tracked. It took her longer to write her reports and examine the bodies. Usually things didn't affect her during her work, but this was something serious. Javier came to visit her during lunch like he always did, but she asked him to take Ryan instead. They needed more time together although they hadn't spoken in a while about anything personal. They were drifting apart and as Lanie contemplated her decision, she knew he would need him if anything happened to her.

She laid in bed next to him that night with his hand over her. Things had been different between Javier and her since Kate's disappearance. At first the occasional booty call that they had soon turned frequent. Neither one of the wanting to be alone and neither one of them wanting to tell the truth. The sense of solidarity that the two shared melted into something that they were afraid of. Love. Though neither one of them spoke the sacred words they continued moving forward as their booty calls soon turned into an on and off again relationship that had weathered through the storms. When he proposed, she finally knew that she wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid of love and any other disasters that came her way. She saw who she could be with him and she enjoyed it. It worried her to think that one day he wouldn't be there. Or she wouldn't.

But something always bothered her.

Since their proposal, Lanie never planned their wedding hoping that one day Kate would come back and they could do it together. Lanie needed her anchor, her rock to make it through. She needed someone to tell her she was doing the right thing and without Kate, Lanie felt like there was something missing. She knew that Javi felt the same way too.

She turned to the clock like she had been doing for the past two hours. It was now 2 AM. Lanie had a choice to make but somehow the choice was inevitable. Kate would have done the same for Lanie. It was time for her to return the favor. Slowly, Parish moved out of the bed doing her best not to wake him. She got dressed and gathered clothes into a bag. She moved back to the bed once more, taking one last look at her fiance before leaving him a note. With a little struggle she pulled her ring off, leaving it on top of the note. She wanted to kiss him goodbye but she knew that he would wake. With nothing else left, she moved to the door. Refusing to look back again.

'_I'll be back soon. I promise.' _


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't long until Javier woke up without her. Her side of the bed was cold and usually by now she moved closer to him with feet freezing as they always found his. "Lanie," the groggy detective called out. He looked around the bedroom, finding her things missing and bedroom door left ajar. Ever since Kate's disappearance he made sure that he locked that door. He sat up, opening his side drawer and searching for his gun. He held it in his hands like only a cop would as he moved towards the bedroom door. He pressed his back against the wall, looking through the crack that was left. There was no movement and that should have made him feel better, but it made the ideas in his mind worse than what it should have been. He held his breath, opening the door slowly. The sound of the door creaking made him stop, closing his eyes at the sound. He always told Lanie that he would fix it and now he wished that he would have. He let out a small huff before opening the door fully and stepping out. He checked the apartment and just like he thought, she was no where to be found. He let go of his frame, his hands falling to his sides. He moved to the entrance door, turning the knob only to realize that it was unlocked. Something that he knew he didn't do especially when he came home last. He moved back to the bedroom with the intention of finding his phone but something else caught his attention. He moved to her side of the bed and place the gun down on the mattress.

It was her engagement ring….

In that moment so many things moved in his mind that he didn't know how to handle it all. They had been through so much together and she was always pushing him away. He didn't know how much of this he could take or how long it would take him to break. He loved her, but there were times that he didn't know if she loved him too. Sometimes he believed that she was with him so that she wasn't alone. He adored her so much that he would take that. He didn't know how many times he had to chase her everytime she ran. He couldn't take the idea of her running on their wedding day. He knew that one day she'd run and that one day he'd stay where he was. There would be a day where Javier Esposito would be too tired. He soon began to think that, that day would be tonight. He moved toward the ring pausing to even touch it because then it would be too real but when he did he knew there was a choice to be made. Before he could finally commit to his choice, there was something on her side table that made him question everything he had just thought of in those 60 seconds. His jaw clenched before opening the letter that she had left him. If she wrote him a 'Dear John' letter he wasn't sure what he would do. He unfolded it, his eyebrows pushing together as he let out a hard breath.

'_I'll be back soon. I promise.'_

What the hell did that mean? Nothing about this day made sense to him. She was cold with him during lunch, and now she's gone. This didn't add up and whatever she was doing, he needed to find out. He pulled out his phone his finger hovering over a name that he hadn't called in a while over personal reasons, but he didn't need help and now he didn't know how to proceed. He pressed the name, letting it ring twice. Before he could hang up, a voice appeared on the phone. "Hello," a fatigued voice answered.

"Ryan, it's me. I have a problem."

_x_

Lanie walked along the docks, considering her decision. It didn't take long for Javi to realize that she was gone. Everytime he called her she let it go to voicemail. She didn't want to do this to him, especially after everything she had put him through. She knew this was the right decision, especially for the ones around her. Nothing was the same without Kate and if she could bring her back, then that's all that she would need. That would be her present. She moved to the dock that he told her he would be at and just like he said, there he was. He leaned over beginning to unravel the rope that kept the boat to the harbor. She cleared her throat only to make sure that he knew that she was there. He turned around, taken aback by her appearance almost as if he didn't believe that she was coming.

"Hey," she said, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. "You came," he said astonished. He didn't mock her, he didn't smile in a way that was pompous. The satisfaction he gave seemed genuine and with that Lanie responded with a small smile. He looked at his watch realizing that he had fifteen minutes. He parted his lips to tell her that he wasn't going to leave but she stopped him before he could. "I know," she said. There was something different about the way he looked at her and it was nice to know that if she _could, _she would be able to trust him. She couldn't let herself have that satisfaction because she didn't know anything about the situation that she was in. Nothing ever seemed as good as it might have been and she didn't let that idea cloud her judgement.

"This boat is gonna take us to the rest of the crew. Whenever you're ready we can go-"

"Why me," she asked. She didn't waste any time because she didn't know how much time she had left. She needed to know the truth or at least some version of the truth before she got on that boat. She needed to know that she was leaving this life that she built for a good reason. He jerked his head back slightly, confused by the question. "Why not," he responded. "When Kate got shot, everyone looked at her differently. Everyone wanted to protect her and even though you protected her, you did it in a different way. It's been three years since then and they all still look at her differently. Except you. You're subtle. You don't see revenge, you see the facts. Kate sees something great in you, and I believe that whatever it is, isn't without reason. She wouldn't ask you to risk your life. Not now."

_x_

From his apartment to the precinct, the car ride consisted of him calling Lanie's phone. Each phone call rang and then went to voicemail and eventually it reached the answering machine automatically. He busted into the precinct, making a beeline to his computer. He tried to track her phone using the gps on it, but to his dissatisfaction she turned it off. In his mind he knew that it was his fault since he taught her how to do that. He checked her cards and phone records but nothing looked out of the ordinary. Lanie didn't want to be found and she sure as hell made sure that it happened. His elbows touched the edge of his desk, burying his face into his hands. If something happened to her, he didn't know what he would do. He tried so hard to protect her, always promising that he wouldn't let anything harm her and now whatever was happening made him think of the worse. His blood boiled and unable to restrain himself, he slammed his hands violently against his desk. The items on the counter bounced, some of them falling to the ground. He reclined back in his chair, brushing his hands over his head.

Detective Ryan made his way into the precinct, impatiently searching for Esposito. He found him at his desk with dejection oozing from his body. "Hey," he called out, moving towards him almost out of breath. "I came as fast as I could. What happened? It sounded serious." Esposito couldn't even look at him. His body slanted over his desk with his hands clasped together. He moved his head slightly in his direction. "Lanie's missing." For a moment, Kevin didn't understand. How could she be missing? Why would she be missing? The only explanation he could think of is that she ran again but it didn't make sense. Esposito would never call him for something like that. At least not to tell him to rush to the precinct. "What do you mean," he said to his partner. Javier let out a small sigh before turning around fully facing him. "I don't know," he answered. The thought of all that had happened in the last thirty minutes had annoyed him easily. "Man, somethings going on and I don't know what it is. Things ain't right. I need to find her."

He moved out of his seat, with his hands on his hips, trying to think of a connection. Lanie wouldn't leave their home at three in the morning. She may not be steady but she wouldn't do that to him or to her own self. There was something that he was missing and he couldn't put his finger on it.

But Kevin did.

He stepped closer to his partner, his look softening as he dared to mention what he was about to. "Espo, what if this is about Kate?" His eyes with haste moved towards Ryan. They opened, bewildered at the thought but Ryan refused to change. "She spent almost every day off looking into cases. It's been a year and maybe she got a lead." Instantly he shook his head. No. It couldn't be. Why would she do it alone? For the past year he watched Richard Castle turn into a vacant space of a man because of Kate. There was no hope for him. Nothing would ever be the same for him. Javier saw that transformation in a matter of days and he was so afraid of what would happen to him if he never saw Lanie again. Everything that he feared was not supposed to happen, but it was. He needed to face that or the chances of finding Lanie again would not be in his favor. He rushed to his computer, logging into the cameras closest to their apartment. "If she's going after Kate, we need to find her. We're not losing her too."

He searched two hours back trying to find any sign of her and when he did, he felt his body freeze. Kevin took his jacket off before leaning next to him to view the computer better. She looked up at the camera and gave it a small smile. He assumed that she knew he would be watching. She headed into a yellow taxi cab and with that he paused the stream. "Can you get another angle," Ryan asked as he picked up Javi's extension. Knowing what Ryan wanted, Javier did his best to find another angle, moving in closer on the identification number . Immediately he punched the numbers in and after a few moments the other side answered.

"Yes, hi. This is Detective Ryan of the NYPD. We're looking for cab number 1729."

_x_

Lanie wasn't convinced that this was all she needed to know after so long of waiting. There were so many questions to ask, but not enough time to ask them or even in the right order. She weighed her choices and through it all only two questions illuminated her thoughts. Was Kate alive? Was that an answer that she was willing to accept? She wasn't sure how to even process that information but if she set herself up for that question and he told her that she wasn't, or that he didn't know, everything she held onto would have been a lie. It was better to know what happened than know her status. It was better to understand the story and find out the most important thing later. Castle would have appreciated that. She asked him her question as calmly as he could. She could see the impatience crawl into his skin, but she didn't care. She was going to ask all of her questions until she felt okay. She still couldn't trust him and he should have known that by now. Everything that she was, was because she protected herself. If shit hit the fan, no one was getting her out except herself. No matter who was in his crew and where they were going, Lanie Parish was alone. She wasn't going to let anyone give her a forged sense of security about that.

"Beckett had a case a few years ago. Missing persons. A little child was abducted and Kate did everything she could to bring the kid back. She did after two weeks. That family was forever grateful to her, but last year the family had to ask for another favor. That child's mother was murdered. Stabbed to death. Precinct tried to cover it up saying it was a robbery, but they knew. They needed answers and the only one they relied on back then was Kate. She did some digging, reporting back to them as best as she could and then one day she wasn't there. She stopped calling and that's when they knew something happened. She called me a couple of weeks ago, asking for my help… and yours. Now is there anything else you want to ask so we could get this show on the road?"

"What's your name?"

He paused for a moment, staring intently at her. "I don't have one."

"Alright, let me try this another way," she said moving closer to him. "What can I call you?"

He chuckled. "Frank."

"Alright Frank," she said moving past him. She stepped onto the boat as carefully as she could. "What are we still doing here then? Lets go." A slight smile crossed his lips as he turned around, finally letting the rope loose.

_x_

"Yo, move faster!" One thing that Kevin disliked about Javier was that he was always a backseat driver. Although he sat next to him, the rules applied. His foot pressed against the gas as far as possible without attempting to drive into light speed. The red and blue glow lit up the light and so did the cars sound. Kevin moved impatiently in his seat, glaring at Javi whenever he got the chance. He tried to refrain himself from saying anything only because of the situation that they were in. After finding the cab and speaking to the driver, he knew exactly who he was talking about and now the only thing to do was get to the docks before it was too late. Before Kevin stopped the car, Javier was halfway out of it, running through the docks trying to find her. He pulled out his phone, calling her. It wasn't to hear her voice because he knew that she wouldn't pick up but her ringtone. In the distance he heard the faint chimes of her phone.

Inside of the boat, Lanie could hear her phone ring in her back pocket and removed it. She saw Javi's number and with all of her strength she tried not to answer it. Leaving him had to be the hardest decision she ever made, and though it broke her heart she knew that if it was her - if it was Lanie who were taken away, Kate would be the first one looking for her. For all the times that Kate saved her, all the times that Kate was there for her, this was her reimbursement. Javi might not have understood right now, but in the end he would. This was for all of them and she couldn't sit down and wait for her return. With her, it could just be the reason they stay alive.

He stopped at the dock, looking in a distance at the silhouette of a beautiful woman on the back of a boat. The moon shined down on her like a halo, but the grace of the glow surrounding her wasn't enough to express her beauty. He knew that was her just as he was sure of the moon. From a distance she could see the silhouette of a broken man who was relentless and would eventually find her. She couldn't let that happen. As the phone continued to ring she turned around, facing the water that was between her and the man of her life. With one deep breath she closed her eyes, feeling her body shake nervously. Her phone, she dropped into the blue ocean of endless waves. She needed to find a way to stop herself from making contact, but she knew this wasn't the end.

The man she cared for, she stared at until she could no longer see him. In her heart she knew that they would meet again, when she returned it wasn't empty handed. After this time, she knew there was no need to run anymore. All this time she was searching for something and it was right in front of her. She would make it back to him with her dying breath. She just hoped that when she returned, the way that he looked at her was still the same.


	3. Chapter 3

The moon disappeared into the darkness while the sun kissed the pastel skyline. It had been hours since Lanie slept and she wasn't about to now. She stood at the back of the ship with her arms crossed looking into the distance where Javier once stood. In a situation like this she didn't know what she was capable of and something told her that he would be coming soon she just hoped it wasn't right now. Everyone had their adventures and despite that, this wasn't one that she wanted to have. It was now or never and Lanie had the chance to do something even if it risked her life.

Frank came from the front of the boat. He came back to her every now and then just to check on her. At first he would announce himself, making sure that he didn't startle her but it was to the point where he knew she didn't notice. For all he knew, she didn't know how long time had passed. He leaned a little to the side, looking at her to see what kind of state she was in. She looked sad, but even when he met her that look was still imprinted. "Hey," he said with caution. She turned to him with a faint smile that came and went. "Hey," she said back before turning to the distance once again. She moved hair away from her face that the wind had given her. "We should be there soon. The coordinates they gave me are almost here." She didn't respond. She accepted the knowledge but made no effort to let him know.

"You didn't have to come," he said after a moment of silence. "We would have been fine without you."

"It's too late now." She hesitated before looking at him. "I'm here. There's nothing that I can do about it."

He nodded his head. "I know."

Before they knew it, the captain of this small boat had called to Frank, telling him that they soon reached their coordinates. Lanie followed him, thinking that it was time to stop moping and start doing the job that they came there to do. She stood behind him from a distance. "Are you sure," Frank said with a sudden stress on his words. "Yes. Yes! I'm sure! That's exactly what you gave me buddy, and I'm telling you - That's it!" A hard breath flew out of his mouth as he shook his head. There was something that he couldn't believe and Lanie didn't understand. It wasn't until their boat powered through the slight fog that was there that she realized what it was. In the distance as it got closer appeared a yacht. Was it where they were going? It had to have been for Frank to stress out so much.

After a few minutes, Frank and Lanie stepped out of the boat with their bags. Frank still hadn't let go of the transportation they were getting. He mumbled as he walked up the stairs and with her following him. Before they could even assess the information, they were greeted by who seemed to be a very wealthy man. His arms opened wide with an excited smile on his face. "Welcome my friends!" Frank didn't have time for this and so he walked passed him. Lanie on the other hand did have time for this only because she was curious. She wasn't as excited as he was, but the man in a white suit did peak her interest. She found this quite amusing. He moved to a table, grabbing a champagne glass filled with mimosa and handed it to her. "Welcome my love. Please enjoy yourself!" She couldn't help but notice the spanish accent trailing off of his lips, but she wouldn't turn down the drink. "Join the rest of the crew downstairs."

The rest of the crew? There were more than just them? She thought it would be a good idea but realized that it meant more people to be accountable for. Nonetheless she found herself moving towards the stairs and following the voice of Frank in his utter anger. "Where the hell is Flor," he roared. Lanie's brows moved upward as she got closer. It seemed like Frank had a bit of an anger problem. "What? What is it," a woman replied. She didn't sound too pleased with his tone just as he wasn't pleased with something.

"I said lowkey. This is not lowkey?"

"Calm down, this is the best way to get there!"

"We could be spotted easily once we get there, what the hell were you thinking?"

"We could be spotted by using your - how do you say - banana boat? They check low key boats like that! I was thinking of saving our lives. This mission would have been over from the minute we get there!"

Everything was getting too intense, too fast. Lanie dropped her dufflebag and cleared her throat. The woman looked at her almost immediately and then pointed to her. "Is this the girl?" Lanie didn't appreciate being referred to as a girl. She didn't think any woman over 25 would liked to be called _girl. _Frank nodded and immediately she rushed to Lanie with haste. She smiled at her, as if she knew her. "My name is Florencia." The way that her r's rolled off of her tounge made her sound exotic. She hinted the same spanish accent from the man upstairs. She couldn't put the accent in place. She figured it would give her some idea of where they were going. She stuck out her hand, and Lanie met hers as politely as she could. "They all just call me Flor. I've heard so much about you, Dr. Parish." Confused, Lanie smiled as she shook her hand, keeping an eye on Frank. "Please," she said, "Call me Lanie."

Flor nodded, stepping back for a moment just looking at Lanie. Her eyes grew wide as she scanned the room, noticing a man asleep in a corner on the floor. Flor's eyes followed the medical examiner's before realizing who she was looking at. She moved toward the man after rolling her eyes. She smacked him upside his head. "Mira cono, aparate! La doctor estas aqui!" He woke from his slumber with a little snort. He looked at her before grabbing the back of his head with an angry look that only a child would give. He stood up, finally noticing Frank. He moved to Lanie, looking back at Flor while pointing in front of him. "Is this the lady?" _Lady_ wasn't any better. He moved to shake her hand and Lanie responded. "This is Fulgencio," Flor said for him. "We just call him Eugene. I don't want anyone to know we're related for… obvious reasons."

"Where's Martin," Frank asked before Lanie could even access the information she was given. Eugene and Flor both looked around, clueless. "You don't think…" Eugene said to Flor. "God, still?" She responded almost immediately. Lanie could tell they were brother and sister almost immediately. "Martin," the two said in unison. Suddenly they all heard the flush of a toilet. "Yeah! I'll be out in a… minute," she heard muffled through the side of the door. She can only assume that, that was supposed to be Martin.

"He's been on the toilet almost all day," Flor explained. "I don't know what's wrong with him."

"It's probably all the shrimp Antonio gave him," her brother replied.

In that moment Lanie realized that she still had the mimosa in her hand. She moved to drink it, possibly to calm her nerves. Before the glass touched her lips, Eugene grabbed it from her hands. "Did Antonio give this to you?" Lanie didn't understand what was wrong. Were they all against alcohol? "Yeah - I guess?" Eugene scoffed as he moved to the window of the yacht. He opened it and then poured the drink out of the cup. He observed the glass, looking at it from all angles and after a pause he threw the glass out of there too. "Never take drinks from him," he said. "He mixes unevenly and you'll be drunk by the second gulp. Learn from my mistakes."

Flor rolled her eyes at her brother before moving to a couch and sitting down. Seconds later, Martin moved out of the bathroom. "I would not go in there for a couple of minutes… maybe half an hour - Ah, Dr. Parish. It's nice to see you've come along!" He stuck his hand out for a moment before realizing where he's been and then pulled his hand back to his side. Lanie thought that this group of people were absolutely weird and she didn't understand why they were all there so save one person. Why did it take five people for a mission that didn't need many. She had seen policemen take down criminals with much less.

"Now that the whole crew is here, let's go over the plan." Martin sat down on the couch next to Flor before she moved to the other side. No one forgot where he had been, except for probably him. They all spoke as if Lanie had known them for so long and easily she found herself lost in all the discussion. Flor crossed her arms, "We're setting up shop at Antonio's cousin's house. They live right across the street from Juan Pablo. Back in the days they didn't have good foundation underneath the house so it's mostly dirt. They're gonna dig a tunnel from underneath their house to Juan's house. Whatever we can't get through, they have the amount of explosives to get through."

"Juan Pablo?" Lanie's confusion hit an ultimate high as they spoke. She had no clue what was going on and she needed help.

Flor eyed her and then looked at Frank. "You haven't told her?"

"It must have slipped my mind."

She scoffed at him. It must have not been the only thing that slipped his mind. The harsh eyes she gave to the older man, softened as she looked at the Doctor. "Juan Pablo is the man who took Detective Beckett. When she started doing research on that woman's case, she noticed some irregularities in the details. Ironically enough, the men who gave their statements worked in narcotics. It didn't take her long to find the connection between Juan Pablo and the narcotics division in her precinct. That division had been under suspicion of stealing drugs from their locker for a long time and I can only guess that Detective Beckett had enough evidence to find Juan Pablo, arrest him and take down those cops too. If not, Juan would have never captured her and came back here." Lanie waved her hand in front of her, signaling them to slow down. "Wait - how do you all know Kate?" The slight informality all made them uneasy except Frank. She noticed that but didn't have time to question it. She didn't want to move into another subject without hearing their answer. They all looked at Frank as he shifted in his stance. "Maldita sea, man. Really, what have you told her?" Eugene seemed annoyed by Lanie's questions, but not because of her. It was the lack of information she was given. "Dr. Parish - We're all criminals. Detective Beckett put us all in jail at one point."

The sudden fear overwhelmed her immediately. She was on a boat. With criminals. The idea shouldn't have surprised her, but it took her back just slightly. She took a deep breath, trying to retain all of the information. "Okay..? Then why are you all here willing to save her?" Martin adjusted himself, leaning forward. "In someway or another, Detective Beckett saved our lives. I'm a hacker, Flor used to be in Arms dealing, Eugene goes wherever Flor goes and Frank… well I don't know what he does- but the point is she didn't see us as low rate criminals. She cared enough to check up on us and talk to us whenever we needed it. We want to pay back the favor." Lanie was weary of the idea. If this was a trap, then there was no way to make it out alive. But if she could get closer to Kate in anyway possible, she's gonna take it. "Okay," she said finally absorbing it all. "Okay, that makes sense. But… this still doesn't explain why I'm here? I'm not a criminal, and I'm not a cop. I'm useless to you guys."

"We know Detective Beckett on a professional level," Flor said. "We do bad stuff, she puts us away. But you… you _know _her. This plan isn't fool proof, at least not yet. We need to account for her personality, her actions, how she would do things. We need to have someone who can understand her personally. Besides, one of us is bound to get shot. We need a medic." Frank stepped forward, everyone acknowledging how much of an ass he is for not telling Lanie anything. "Lanie, this mission is dangerous. Chances are, you're gonna be in the line of fire. We'll equip you with the guns so you-"

'No- I don't do guns. Figure out another way because I ain't packin'." She dismissed him with a nod and her hand in his face. "That's okay. I'll carry for two then," Flor said with joy as her face lit up. "If Juan Pablo is able to put the narcotics division on his payroll, I'm assuming he's got enough money to put anyone else from a different country on a payroll too. How are we supposed to get close to him." Lanie kept asking them questions because she wanted to know as much as she could. From what she could tell, she wouldn't be in the line of fire which made her grateful, but because of that she was worried that she wouldn't be there for Kate. Florencia could read that from a mile away and she tried her best to reassure her and lighten up the place. "Girl, I'm an arms dealer," Flor replied to the doctor. "A damn good one at that. They contacted me a week ago, which sucks for them because Frank called me two weeks ago. I'm gonna go in and pose as a contracted arms dealer. I'm hoping to get contact with Kate."

Lanie nodded. She was finally starting to get all the information and in her own little way she started to piece everything together. These people cared for Kate almost as much as her and her team did. Still no matter what they told her and how she pieced together, she couldn't get where they were going. "Where are we going anyway," she asked. They didn't even bother to look at Frank because he should have told her all of this by now. Lanie understood slightly why he hadn't. With all this information, she would have said no. They needed an ally of Kate's and she understood why they choose her.

Frank let out a hard breath and turned to Lanie, finally giving her answers to her questions.

"We're uh.. We're going to Cuba."

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Hey guys! So, I'm trying to pull out a chapter at least once a day as best as I can because I really like this idea and I would like to keep it going. I'd really appreciate reviews so that I know you guys like this, so I can keep posting. Give me ideas on what you'd like to see and I'll try to fit it in if it makes sense on where I'm going with this. For anyone who cares, I kind of put faces to the people that we've never seen. _

Frank - Kevin Sorbo  
Martin - Bruce Campbell  
Eugene- Eugenio Derbez (I swear I didn't even do this on purpose!)  
Florencia- Cote De Pablo

_Of course you can think of whoever you like, but these faces kept coming to me! I hope you guys enjoy! _


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